Session 8
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Summer 1222
Pre-Tribunal
Towards the end of the Spring season, Neanne calls a covenant meeting and proposes that the traditional day-before-Solstice mandatory meeting be held on June 14 so that the magi can head out to Tribunal with all the covenant business taken care of. The magi, plus all the Redcaps, form a large travel party to southern Wales for Blackthorn. The journey takes five days and the magi arrive on June 20th.
The traditional magi fair to trade books, services, magical items, apprentices and the like is in full swing. Veloxia seeks some primers in the Arts while Obscurus Ignis seeks books on Penetration and Finesse. Magni greets members of Conventus Muri for a reunion. Magi shake hands and do initial feeling-out for votes.
Veloxia is pulled aside and asked to meet in a spot a couple of miles from the Tribunal. She meets the Tribunal's Bjornaer who welcome her to the local "sept", the Bjornaer local family unit.
The Jerbiton party takes place with the somewhat surprising invitation to Obscurus Ignis whose Gentle Gift and noble lineage plays in his favour. He makes several contacts there. (Adria and Geoffrey are assumed to have attended as well.)
Magni finds the various Quaesitores and offers his services for helping enforce Hermetic Law. As he acts to bring the lawless to justice, he will begin earning a reputation as a Hoplite. As Aduro's filius, exactly nobody is surprised by this at Tribunal.
Neanne and Aulus run a poorly attended colloquium for theoretical-minded magi. It is mostly Bonisagus and Verditius magi who attend, two houses which are underrepresented in the Stonehenge Tribunal.
There are discussions about reviving the Flambeau competitions and a regional Verditius Contest for the next Tribunal.
Tribunal
The Tribunal starts at sunset and the magi are lead into the caves of Blackthorn to the main meeting chamber. During the formal roll call, Phessalia immediately objects as the Nova Semitae magi announce themselves, claiming that they are not sworn magi. This results in her being Silenced by the Praeco, though many magi roll their eyes and shake their heads at Phessalia's behaviour; they've seen this before.
The magi of Nova Semitae beat off Phessalia's charges relatively handily and prepare to lay counter-charges of their own. Two apprentice cases come up that leave the magi ambivalent: first, Phessalia claiming an apprentice of a recently deceased Merinita, currently being trained by a Jerbiton; second, a case of a Merinita demanding a Tytalus return her Gifted child who was kidnapped and made his apprentice. The magi of Nova Semitae abstain from both cases with the exception of the Phessalia case, which Veloxia votes against. This proves to be an important vote, as the Merinita magae lose in both cases by a single vote.
During a two-hour recess, several issues are discussed which Obscurus Ignis takes the lead on while Magni catches up on rest. Obscurus Ignis approaches Aulus and asks him to use his Bonisagus rights to take the apprentice from the Tytalus and give it back to her mother, since apprentices are property under Hermetic Law. Aulus says he will consider it in consultation with his wife, Jasmine of Mercere, as it is a political act that can earn ill-will. Veloxia, in the meanwhile, attempts to approach the Tytalus' apprentice to see her opinion, but as the Tytalus has not shared his Parma Magica, the girl spends most of it cowering from all the magi. Veloxia's Blatant Gift does not allow her to approach the child to speak with her. Neanne comes up with the idea to introduce a new ruling for the Tribunal: a magus blood relative shall have primary claims over a Gift child, Bonisagus rights to take an apprentice excepted. On return to the session, Obscurus Ignis debates the Tytalus but neither sway any neutral votes from the assembly.
Apprentices are brought in to be sworn as new magi and the Tribunal is closed, per tradition. It is then re-opened with an abbreviated opening ceremony for remaining issues.
Nova Semitae brings its counter-charges against Phessalia: deprivation of power and abuse of Tribunal's time. Both are passed, the latter overwhelmingly by an assembly tired of Phessalia wasting their time. Phessalia is fined a total of 20 pawns, to be paid by the next Tribunal. Neanne's proposal for blood rights is debated and eventually passed, though the Presiding Quaesitor expresses concern of its full legality.
The Tribunal-wide pact introduced by Aduro is brought up, debated, and passed with some loud dissenters. At Obscurus Ignis' recommendation, Aduro promises that spoils to the ensuing Wizard's War are proportional to participation. This brings more votes than might have been otherwise.
Two challenges to the Praeco's power and Blackthorn's standing as the location for Tribunal are deferred to a future Tribunal and the assembly ratifies the decisions, bringing the Tribunal to a close.
Post-Tribunal
The Tribunal wraps up and the magi head home, taking five days to head back. With the first week of the season taken up with Tribunal, the magi settle into their seasonal activities to catch up on their work.
A couple of days after returning from Tribunal, Aulus calls a covenant meeting and introduces three Quaesitores who have travelled from the Magvillus, the home of House Guernicus and headquarters of the Quaesitores in the Roman Tribunal. Aulus explains that he has been asked to serve as the Proctor of Hermes at the Roman Curia. The Quaesitores explain that the Order maintains a representative at the Papal Court to intercept and deal with any magus who petitions the Pope. A proctor is the representative for a powerful nobleman or organization with the authority to represent that party's interests. The Pope is aware of the Order and allows a magus to speak for the Order.
Because of his Gentle Gift, command of Hermetic Law, and his demonstrated attempts to bring peace in the Stonehenge Tribunal, the Quaesitores have asked him to serve as the Order's proctor. The benefits would be that Aulus would be raised to the position of Quaesitor and serve for two years (the maximum amount of time one can serve as a proctor). The covenant would then have local Quaesitor which is a measure of prestige for Nova Semitae. Unfortunately, he would be busy for the next seven years -- three years to train in Hermetic Law and Canon Law, followed by two years as the proctor to the court of the Archbishop of Canterbury, then transferred to the Roman Curia. In exchange, Magvillus would send supplemental law books which would be donated to the covenant's library.
Aulus asks for a dispensation for his training and service at the various ecclesiastic courts to count as covenant service. The motion is put before the council and is passed unanimously. Redone in Session 10
Experience Points
Characters participating in Tribunal receive +5xp. All magi.